Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I think it only happened because Weber was looking for another way to expand and chose upmarket. They apparently decided that no matter how well built this new grill would be, the Weber name was too middle class for what they were aiming for.
I do think of it as a “Weber” grill in that, like Bruce said, they designed it and I am sure oversaw that its construction met their expectations. Thankfully in those days the way to add capacity wasn’t to go across the Pacific. So having a company nearby provide factory space doesn’t detract from it being a Weber product to me. It’s not like Wolf or someone like that designed the grill and just let Weber brand it as a Vieluxe.
I do think of it as a “Weber” grill in that, like Bruce said, they designed it and I am sure oversaw that its construction met their expectations. Thankfully in those days the way to add capacity wasn’t to go across the Pacific. So having a company nearby provide factory space doesn’t detract from it being a Weber product to me. It’s not like Wolf or someone like that designed the grill and just let Weber brand it as a Vieluxe.